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The championship contender capitalized on a tactical decision from the British team that contradicted decisions made by every other team during an early race safety car deployment

This proved to be a costly decision that gave up track position to the Red Bull driver in the closing laps and in hindsight cost the victory for Piastri

Grand Prix Results and Title Consequences

Verstappen won to take his 7th win of the season, matching the McLaren drivers, while the Piastri was second and the Briton in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

The McLaren driver won himself an extra two points by passing the Mercedes driver's Mercedes on the penultimate lap

The championship leader has been maintained a 12-point lead over his rival, who moved ahead of Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To secure the title, Norris must secure a podium position at Yas Marina if his rival takes victory next race day

Critical Moments of the Dramatic Grand Prix

• The team's choice not to pit when a safety car was deployed on the seventh lap for a crash between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Sauber's Hulkenberg
• A strategy led by Piastri to advance his final stop in a desperate attempt to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise podium finish for the Williams driver gifted by McLaren's tactical decision

The Way McLaren Lost Out in Qatar

The fateful moment for McLaren was when Gasly and Hulkenberg collided as the German tried to overtake the Frenchman around the exterior of Turn One on the seventh lap

The German's car was damaged beside the track That brought out the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps remaining in the race

With the tire manufacturer enforcing a twenty-five lap safety limit on the tires, that meant anyone who pitted at that time was locked into a rigid strategy with a second stop on the thirty-second lap

Driver Responses and After the Event Statements

Speechless

Piastri added in his after-race conversation: Obviously we didn't get it right tonight I drove the best race I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was nothing left out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

The race winner said: That represented an incredible race for us We made the correct decision to box It was smart Furthermore extremely pleased to triumph in Qatar and stay in the fight to the head, remarkable

Final Race Positions

• 1. Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren Racing)
• 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Lando Norris (McLaren Racing)
• 5. Antonelli (Mercedes)
• 6. Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin F1)
• 8. Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 9. Liam Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)

What's Next?

The crucial title decider at the Yas Marina The circuit itself does not create the most exciting racing, but once again this evening event hosts an contest which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's maiden championship in twenty-ten, or the Dutch driver's much-debated first title in 2021